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Utah men’s basketball to open inaugural College Basketball Crown Tournament

Utes draw Butler Bulldogs on March 31 in Las Vegas

Bernie Wilson

Utah Utes forward Jake Wahlin.
Utah Utes forward Jake Wahlin. / William Purnell-Imagn Images
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The Utah men's basketball team will play on despite a late-season skid.

The Utes have earned a spot in the first game of the inaugural College Basketball Crown Tournament, against the Butler Bulldogs on Monday, March 31 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. MT and the game will air on FS1.

The game was announced on Monday, several hours before Alex Jensen was officially introduced as the new coach at the Huntsman Center.

Utah dropped to 16-16 after an 87-72 loss to UCF in the Big 12 Tournament. The Utes have lost three straight and five of six.

The College Basketball Crown is a 16-team tournament running from March 31 through April 6. It features teams from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East conferences, as well as at-large participants. Games will air on Fox Sports and FS1.

The Utes are 1-3 all-time against Butler, with the Bulldogs winning 81-69 in Indianapolis the last time the teams met. Butler is 14-19 overall and finished 6-14 in Big East play.

Utah's lone win over Butler was a 95-66 romp in Salt Lake City way back on Dec. 5, 1964.

Should the Utes defeat the Bulldogs, they'll play the winner of the game between George Washington (21-12) and Boise State (24-10) on Wednesday, April 2, at 5 p.m. MT on FS1.

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Bernie Wilson
BERNIE WILSON

Bernie Wilson recently retired from The Associated Press after nearly 41 years, including stops in Spokane, Los Angeles and, for the final 33 years, San Diego. He grew up in Coeur d'Alene and graduated from the University of Idaho.

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